I’d like to announce that I am not fully retiring, but I am taking time away from the game again this season. I cannot deny my love for the game of hockey and still feel the passion for competing at my highest level.
However, these last few seasons have been very difficult considering my health challenges. My focus is to give myself the time and space to fully heal and enjoy life to the fullest once again. Along the way I have met several people who have struggled with health issues pertaining to long COVID, chronic immune response syndrome, and other similar cases that are quite complex. I now recognize the importance of one day sharing the details of my health journey with you all.
Thank you to all of you who have supported me and respected my privacy in the process. (x)
I’d like to announce that I am not fully retiring, but I am taking time away from the game again this season. I cannot deny my love for the game of hockey and still feel the passion for competing at my highest level.
However, these last few seasons have been very difficult considering my health challenges. My focus is to give myself the time and space to fully heal and enjoy life to the fullest once again. Along the way I have met several people who have struggled with health issues pertaining to long COVID, chronic immune response syndrome, and other similar cases that are quite complex. I now recognize the importance of one day sharing the details of my health journey with you all.
Thank you to all of you who have supported me and respected my privacy in the process. (x)
“I’m going to tell you a story: The Winnipeg Junior Jets AAA summer team has just won the Sask-Can hockey tournament and the team, coached by Tom Zajac (father to Devils’ forward Travis) is celebrating on the ice. The team is captained by Jonathan Toews, a ten year old boy who did not spend one minute in the hotel swimming pool or eating pizza this entire trip. A boy whose intense stare during games, mixed with his relentless drive was enough to scare some of his teammates. This win will end up being a microscopic footnote on the list of his accomplishments. As the boys congratulate each other and accept their medals, Jonathan takes note of a player on his team standing off to the side. The player was arguably one of the worst players on the team and had barely seen a shift the entire game. Toews could see that the player was feeling uneasy about taking his medal, even though he is smiling and congratulating the rest of his teammates. Jonathan can see that the player is questioning himself and his contributions to the win. Toews stops what he is doing and decides to approach the player. […] How do I know that there will never be another Jonathan Toews? How do I know Jonathan is one of a kind? You can take his Gold Medals away. You can take his Stanley Cup rings away. It all goes back to the rink in Saskatoon when he was ten years old. He was so mature, aware and sensitive to his teammates around him, that he approached the worst player on the team after a win. This player had played the least and felt undeserving of the tournament medal. Jonathan skated over and said, “I want you to know, you deserve a medal just as much as everyone else”. How do I know he said that? I know because that player was me.”
— Carson Shields - The 7th Defenseman: Why Toews is One of a Kind (via starafar)